Benghazi victims saluted

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry participate in the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) Memorial Plaque Ceremony at the State Department in Washington, Friday, May 3, 2013, honoring the dedication of colleagues in the Foreign Service. Biden and Kerry paid tribute on Friday to Benghazi victims Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Ty Woods as well as Anne Smedinghoff, the young foreign service officer killed in Afghanistan. Also honored was foreign service
— AP

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry participate in the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) Memorial Plaque Ceremony at the State Department in Washington, Friday, May 3, 2013, honoring the dedication of colleagues in the Foreign Service. Biden and Kerry paid tribute on Friday to Benghazi victims Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Ty Woods as well as Anne Smedinghoff, the young foreign service officer killed in Afghanistan. Also honored was foreign service
/ AP

“Glen always wanted to do something and always wanted to be connecting with other people,” Kerry said. “He wanted to be the man in the area, the ‘doer of deeds,’ as Teddy Roosevelt said. And Glen actually carried that famous speech with him for years as an inspiration.”

Woods joined the Navy at 18 and became a SEAL because it was the biggest challenge he could set for himself, Kerry said.

He served multiple combat deployments, earning a Bronze Star with a Combat V for valor for action in Iraq that included a dozen raids and 10 reconnaissance missions.

“But he also had a healer’s touch, and he eventually became a registered nurse and a certified paramedic,” Kerry said. “Over the years, he became an instructor and a mentor to younger SEALs, even after he retired from the Navy and began defending our embassies.”

The 41-year-old’s survivors include his wife and their infant son.

Security missteps that preceded the attack at Benghazi remain under investigation by several congressional committees. One is the House Oversight and Government Reform panel chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, who will lead hearing for next Wednesday where unnamed witnesses he describes as “whistle-blowers” are scheduled to testify.